The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-03-16

Notes Upon the Sunday-school
Lesson for March 20.


tnlrty-secOnu cnupter Oh ueneSiss NeiooS
nine to twelve, and twenty-four to thirty.
Time, Ii. C. 1889, twenty-one years after
last lesson. Place, Peniel face of God;
also called Penuel (place of God. In each
case accented on second syllable.
SPECIAL MENTION.
The Jordan. This great river of Pales-
tine, called the Descerder, for its swift
course of two hundred miles over twenty
seven rapids, has one source at Dan. At
another (Banias) il bursts out from the
foot of rock, and flows through the Lake
Merom into the Sea of Galilee or Gen.
nesaret. This latter is six hundred and
fifty feet below the Mediterranean, and
from this point to the Dead Sea it falls six
hundred and fifty feet. making it one
thousand three hundred feet and over
below the sea level, when ii reaches the
Dead Sea. In April we found it rushing
through its narrow banks, turbid and dan
gerous even at the ford near Jericho. Here,
however, breakwater was constructed, to
allow the pilgrims their annual bath at
Easter festival. The banks are thickly
wooded with dense growth of willow and
poplar, and they furnish such haunt as
wild beasts would covet, described by Zach
ariah (chap. IL ~, where the destruction
of these thickets and the pride of Jordan is
noted by n roaring of the lions which dwelt
there. The luxuriance of the plain of Jeri-
cho is proverDial. Cooks Comp. Quar-
Esaa. He is frank and generous, show
ing off to good advantage at the first. But
the original good darkens, as he grows
older, into overmastering evil. He has no
depth of nature, lives for the
moment, cares nothing for higher
interests, and if capable OF gen.
erous impulses, is no less so of plans of
deep-s seated revenge. With all the ele-
ments that might have ripened into splen-
did character, the want of solid qualities
changes him gradually into mere Bed
ouin chief, living by war and plumber. The
race of Edom, which sprang from him
tickle, turbulent, false and unruly, embodies
only too fully his worst characteristics.
! CONDENSED from Geikie.)
Jacob Israel. The new name is indica-
tive of the new nature, which has now
come to its perfection of development in
Jacob Murphy
The effect of this revelation was to change
Jacobs character. His name was changed,
because he was an altered man. Hitherto
there had been something subtle in his
! character,-a certain cunning and craft.
The forgiveness of God, twenty years be-
fore, had not altered this; though Jacob
was tender and devout, and grateful to God
for pardon. He is brought into contact
with the awful God, and his subtlety falls
from him. Israel, larger, more unselfish
name,-a larger and more unselfsh man.
(Robertson.)
Tho angel put perpetua! mark OF honor
on him ly calling HIM Israel, and so chang
ing his name. From henceforth he was to
be celebrated not for craft and artful man
agement, but for true valor; he was TO be a
prince with God, one who stroye with God
and had power TO prevail; one who, here
after should prevail over men. standard
Bib. Comm
Unlike Abraham, who received his new
name once for all, and was never afterward
called by the former one, Jacob will hence
be called now by the one and now by the
other, as the occasion may serve, for he was
called from the womb, %: % And both
names have spiritual significance for
two different aspects of the child of God.
(Murphy)
The supplanter has gone to meet Laban
he will meet the Lord before he meets
Laban. God is waiting at the sleeping
place, and the revelation is already pre-
pared. We require the darkness for the
revelation Of some things. We do not see
the stars while the sun is binding us.
Could We see a map of all the ways by
which men are brought back again to God,
we bnOulu Dc dlHdLtu Ut TIC uuu
relations and crossings of the innumera-
BILE lines-here they coincide, there they
sharply separate, again they seem to touch;
across them run other lines in great sur
prises of movement; and yet, by some
mysterious action, all the lines con-
verge upon the abandoned house of the
Father, the discarded altar of the cross,
and all the various voices Of life are one in
the solemn pathos of the confession and
petition for pardon. This is the Lords
way. (Parker.)
When he started from Bethel for Meso-
potamia. his religion was still mingled with
much human contrivance: but he becomes
different man as he grows older The
struggles and trials of many years brought
out what was best in him, and softened and
melted away much that was ignoble and
doubtful. We see him at his best, after the
mysterious inward struggle in the night al
Pencil. Trouble was gradually transform
ing him from Jacob, "the supplanter," to
Israel, "the Prince of God" (Geikie.)
Peniel Tor Penuel, Judg. s. IL. A place
beyond the Jordan, where Jacob wrestled
with the angel and "caled the name of the
place Pencil: for have seen God face &c
face, and my life Is preserved" Gen
32:30). There was in aftertimes a forti-
fed town in this place, the inhabitants OF
which exposed themselves to the resentment
of Gideon, for refusing succor to his
troops when pursuing the Midianites (Judg
$50. The site is not known; but it must
have been at some point on or not far from
the north bank of the Jabbok. Men of this
name occur in Chron. A. 4; s: 20.
TOPIC AND OUTLINE.
The passage furnishes good illustration
of prevailing and effective prayer. 1. The
true spirit is seen to be one of q rever-
ence, (2) humility, (3) gratitude, a.
earnestness, and (5) persistence. g
Among the pleas and arguments, are Il,
Gods past blessings, CD Gods gracious re-
laiions to the race, and (3) Gods promise
for the future. 3. Several elements in
prayer are noticeable, as On definite and
direct request, GU mystery, (3) divine test
ing, az expectation of blessing. A. The
results of prayer are Q) self -abasement, q
favor with God, (3) power with God and
men, a. greater answers than are expected
90 peculiar divine revelations.
! Subject for March 81, Quarterly Review.
Chicago Standard.